Waking Dreams of Synchronicity
by Minako Kurosu
Summary: Inspired by the beauty of this incomplete trilogy Synchronicity  starring the Kagamine twins, Gakupo, Kaito, Miku, Meiko, and Luka , I created this story.
1. Chapter 1

Sychronicity

**I adore Vocaloids, particularly the songs in which they tell a story. I happen to be one of those fans eagerly awaiting the day an anime series for Vocaloids will be released. In a more realistic (I hope) light, I'm also one of those fans crossing my fingers for the third part of this series, Synchronicity. However, my storage of patience isn't very high, and I simply HAD to write this story out and beyond. All credit goes to the creators of this one, as well as the fantastic artist who illustrated it and inspired me ^.~**

**Len**

_Shall we begin?_

_ Before any Once Upon a Time began the cruel separation of a fairy tale and some waking world, there was a smile. Yes, that smile was a memory. The first. There was, perhaps, a face that went with it, and eyes as well. Of course. But in all the heavy fog surrounding the tender, bleary mind of a newborn, only the smile remains. It symbolized so many things that a baby could not possibly hope to explain; the world is so vast and, for the moment, untraveled. It has not been experienced yet, and thus nothing has been seen that can offer comparison to that smile. But somehow, a child looking up at the face of her mother, glowing with love and joy, will know that the whole world could be traveled a thousand times over, and not a single wonder or miracle could hold rank against such a sight._

_ Yes, before the fairy tale imposed on the fragility of a normal family life, a blond-headed babe closed her sleep-sodden eyelids, lulled by the sight of her mother's smile and the warmth of her twin brother's presence beside her. Filled to the point of overflowing with a cherished sense of blessedness only a mother knows, the pretty young woman caressed the faces of her sleeping children. The smile was instinct; it spread across her fresh and youthful face completely in its own accord. To her eyes, the sun was shining in through the wide window of their humble home, gleaming off the heads of her two most precious treasures more beautifully than pure gold. In that moment…the ill-fated perfect moment of happiness before tragedy…life could not be any better. She had run out of things to pray for._

_ A knock on the door, and the story begins. Expecting anything but what was waiting for her, the mother left her children with ease, intending to be at their side again in a minute to be sure they stayed asleep._

_ The first separation. The infants awoke before their mother's scream had even left her lips, spurred by some sense of desperation at their impending loss. Then she screamed, and they did as well, tears streaming from their dim, glossy eyes as they clasped each other's tiny hands. Restrained by the guard, the poor young woman stood no chance. She struggled futilely, shrieked and begged for mercy, for forgiveness, for a reason to this madness. When her assailants remained deaf to her pleas, and the beautiful princess moved to enter the small room, she stretched out her hand one last time, and a silent prayer was made after all: that her children would never be apart, that they would at least have each other._

_ There are no prayers in a fairy tale, though. Only luck and magic. These unfortunate twins had not a shred of luck between them, and while magic was certainly spun that fateful day, it was not an omen of the smile their mother had endowed them with, but the fruit of her tears as she was dragged to her doom and the second separation was enacted as the wailing twins were torn from each other and taken in opposite directions to different worlds, two entwined souls savagely isolated in myriads of darkness and loneliness._

_ Now, I shall say it._

_ Once upon a time…_

There was a smile. Yes, it's always there, embedded in my memories, taunting me with a life I have yet to know…the life I know I deserve and belong to. That life is now nothing but a fairy tale…or the dream a fairy tale conjures, that of normality. In reality, I don't believe in fairy tales. Magic can come in all shapes and sizes; it can be evil, it can be good. It can bring pain…which is all it has brought me. The good kind of magic is what I attach to that smile…the simplest, most normal thing in the world.

Actually, there are two smiles. One no longer serves for anything more than comfort, the pleasant memory of a golden past filled with love and security; a fragile, fleeting history that was quickly shattered by the shadow of a nightmare. The other, however…

The other smile is the one I dream of, whether I am asleep or walking through this irrelevant, wasted world. No other beauty truly brings me satisfaction unless it is the one I see inside my own head. The warmth and life in that smile is my purpose, my reason, my quest. A face and eyes most assuredly go with it; they match my own when I stare into the depths of a lake, but the girl I see in my dreams is nothing like me. She is not oppressed by the burdens of apathy and regret, hopelessness and delinquency. Instead, she seems to shine from within, like an angel sent to earth, waiting for me so she can take me to Heaven. I am not worthy even to dream of such an ethereal creature, but still I see her, night and day.

I remember the first time. Wandering…as I always have been…searching for some reason to this cacophonous existence, I saw something shining in the grass. Filled with curiosity and that little shred of hope that always comes over me when I see something new, I strode over and bent to examine it. The object was a token, a woman's necklace on a threaded cord. The shape—I gasped when I saw it, instinctively clasping my own pendant in my gloved hand—was that of a musical score, the treble clef. I myself had a base clef hanging around my neck. It was the one possession that had originally been mine, though I can't say where I got it from.

Overcome by the surrealistic quality of such a coincidence, I reached down in a daze to pick up the delicate necklace. No sooner had my fingers brushed the cool metal did I see her…my first glimpse of that beautiful smile. Instantly, like a key fitting perfectly into its allotted lock, my heart assumed its fated purpose and I stood, a new man made in seconds.

That face…nothing in the world seemed so familiar or real. In it, I had recognized my own. Surely, if I were a woman, an angel, I would look like that. But this journey, this purpose I had been born for, was not to find myself, so I could only assume she was my…

A hawk flew to the east, and the mid-noon sun glinted off its golden brown feathers like a day star. This, I knew, was my way. I had to go to her; nothing else mattered. Nothing had mattered before now, but I had always known that. Raised by nobles, I had been a surly, restless lad. It was no phase of childish rebellion or self-discovery; I simply despised everything in my young life. Eventually, I revolted completely against my guardians and escaped, fleeing the country and proceeding to wander the world, searching, desiring…waiting for my purpose. This was my moment. This was when my life _truly_ began. I had stepped forward, for the first time filled with intent and a set destination. I knew it existed, but I had not a clue as to how to get there. Still, I walked, and I am walking still.

Eventually, my dream changes, and I _hear_ the sound of Heaven. The voice of an angel…it ensconces me, beckoning me and giving me strength no mortal substance ever could. Driven on with even more intensity than before, I am certain to find my goal, even if my shadow is my only company, and the map I scrawl with my eyes closed is my only guide.

_Once upon a time—no, in a time after what happened once—there was a wanderer searching for his reason of existence. When an angel sang to him, he knew why he had been born. He no longer wandered, but journeyed towards his unwavering goal, marked by a voice, a face, two eyes…and a smile. _


	2. A Song for Happily Ever After

**Hello, all! I'm finally working on this project again...it's going to be a long journey, probably the most complex I've set myself to. I keep forgetting how intricate this story is ^.~ the intricacy is best explained by the large amount of characters. For now, I'm devoting myself to studying each one so I can perhaps clarify some things for you lovely readers. Please bear with me, and I'm aware that some people may interpret things differently. I hope you enjoy, either way ^.~All credit goes to Hitoshizuku P for composing, and ** **Suzunosuke for providing the FANTASTIC art that helps illuminate it. **

**Rin**

My bare feet tread silently across the smooth stone of the cave floor, but I cringe at every jangle of the ceremonial bracelet hanging from my ankle. My heart pounds painfully against my chest, cutting my breath short and causing my legs to tremble. This cave no longer seems cold to me—I have lived my entire life behind its stone walls—but the sheer terror of the beast that lies beyond these murky shadows is always enough to chill me to the bone at first.

It is awake! Slitted, glowing eyes of pupil-less green regard me from the depths, and I feel the weight of a mighty awareness descend upon my shoulders. Hunger. Restlessness. I am standing yet again before the maw of death. It is a daily occurrence, but only a fool would not be afraid.

_Don't just stand there!_ a voice within my cries. Self-preservation. Instinct is truly a powerful ally. _Do what you came here to do,_ it continues urgently. _Appease your master and fulfill this world, as you do every day. _

I shiver and bow my head. My throat hurts...the cold dampness of the caverns does me little good. I shouldn't strain myself...I've already developed a nasty cough...

But the green eyes are opening wider now, and a rumble deeper than Hell stirs the air as the monster, who can barely fit in even these vast network of caves, begins to toy with the idea of devouring me.

This isn't only about me. The entire world hangs in the balance...a world I have never seen, and am doomed to be locked away from. But it _is_ the world, nevertheless. Determined, I raise my eyes to boldly meet the shadows. I am no longer shaking; my inner strength has found itself. Leaping forward lightly with a musical jingle, I open my mouth and begin to sing.

_Fairy tales are unrealistic because they speak not only of a beginning, but of an end. A happy end. That means that, somewhere between the beginning and the end, despair turns to hope, evil is vanquished, and the princess is rescued from the jaws of the dragon by a handsome knight in shining armor. The land is freed, and then the end is spoken...an end that alludes to eternal paradise, this "happily ever after"._

_Life is no fairy tale, but this world is not a reality, either. Here, in the bowels of the earth, the golden-haired princess must always dance before the mighty dragon. Committed to my fate, I sing, day and night. I sing to appease the evil that holds the world within its claws. I sing prayers all alone to maintain this artificial paradise. Trapped deep, deep beneath the ground since infancy, I am consigned to my fate._

_This is no reality, but neither is it a fairy tale. It is a cycle of black magic, and I help to weave it, as the ones who sang before me. My voice threads around and around, from the "past that has no where to go" to the future that will simply melt back into it. History always repeats itself, and there is never an end to this story._

_In truth, I know nothing of the world I sing prayers for, but I must always lift my voice. A song for the sun, a song for the rain...it is a gentle requiem that gives way to cruel truth. But if even this will offer some warmth at the end of paradise, then I will dedicate myself to this fate. _

I cannot say that I was born into hopelessness. My spirit has not been vanquished. As I dance and sing, I am offered a flash...even the tiniest ray of light. A face, so familiar and promising that I must smile through my tears. Warm, caring hands are stretching out for me, and a heart is searching desperately for mine. They have never reached me...yet.

The vision of the dragon vanishes as I settle into my daily songs, replaced instead by a masked woman. A queen of darkness, she has been made a slave to it herself. Still, this does not stop her from commanding me in a voice of ice and steel, "Sing forever."

Deep inside, surely she must see what I see...that this world is dying. Yet here I dance and sing, futile prayers for a distorted, false world. I must smile through tears and despair...I must keep singing...

A bloody cough interrupts my prayers, and I stare through blurred eyes at the crimson stain on my fingers. Will this world survive me? Which one of us is sicker? As my vision spins and the hard, unyielding rock meets my body, I think it will be a miracle for me to live longer than the surreality I help create.

Lying against the stone through a spell of faintness, I can see them so clearly. The ones trapped here before me. They all sang, these Divas, until their hearts could not take the weight of a world spun from evil and deceptive paradise. Spinning through the twisted shadows, they are all faceless, save for one, the most recent. A woman, young like me, beautiful with scarlet, twisting locks of hair. But she wore no smile...was there no one walking under the sun for her to lay her hopes upon?

My smile has never left my face. I must smile for her, and for them...gentle, beautiful voices of a forgotten past. I must sing again, stretching my voice out to lead that strong heart to mine. I must undo these fabrics and reveal the real world. Through tears, through blood, through suffering...I will continue to sing.

_Still..._

I pull myself to my feet, and tears leak from my eyes, mixing with the bloodstain on my hand as pain wracks my body afresh.

_I am afraid..._

Then I see his face again. Blue eyes lit with a fire I could never possess, so similar and yet different to my dull, faded ones. Could that fire be enough to vanquish the darkness? It is enough...I stand with a smile and start to sing again, imagining him by my side. My voice rings out stronger and clearer than ever before...

_I pray to create a new, bright world, a world where everyone can smile. It's a song of hope, to light up tomorrow. Giving my life to it, I sing vigorously. Let my voice float with the wind til I die..._

Somewhere, far above the ground and to the west, a young traveler closed his eyes in anguish. A heart that was connected to his at birth was in pain. He was dedicated to his fate, to find the source of the voice that drew him in. In this dying, false world, dazzled with deceptive sunshine and colors, he let his shadow and her song guide him. Keeping his eyes closed, he imagined her by his side, and heard her voice even louder and clearer than he ever had before...

_I fight to put an end to this damnable world spun by evil, to rescue you. I saw you crying alone as you sang. A song of despair, of shadow to bury the past. Your existence was stolen from me, and even now your voice begins to stutter. I will sink beneath the ground to find you. Let me sink into the never-ending rain til I die..._

For an instant, he felt her fingers intertwine with his.

_I will give you a happily ever after._


End file.
